Band leader Michael League was breathless Sunday night during a short interview less than an hour after the announcement that Snarky Puppy had won. “I was shocked. I was completely blown away,” he said.

The band was especially surprised about the win since one of their fellow nominees, Australian soul band Hiatus Kaiyote, had been asked to perform during the Grammys pre-show. “We were sure they were going to win,” League said. “All of the people who had performed had won.”

Snarky Puppy was nominated for its song “Something” featuring soul singer Lalah Hathaway. The other artists up for Best R&B Performance were Miguel featuring Kendrick Lamar; Hiatus Kaiyote featuring Q-Tip; Anthony Hamilton; and Tamar Braxton.

In League’s acceptance speech, he thanked the 12 band members who flew to Los Angeles for the show. “… They’ve spent the last 10 years with me, eight of them touring very unglamorously on the road and sleeping on floors and couches. To be here right now is completely unimaginable,” he said.

Despite the band’s international success, especially in 2013, League said the Grammy is career-changing. “In a way it’s unfortunate that an award can alter a career. We’re not any better of a band right now than we were yesterday. But the level of visibility that a Grammy affords you changes everything,” he said.

“Something” comes from Snarky Puppy’s live DVD/CD called Family Dinner – Volume One, and 10 percent of album sales go to The Music Lab at Jefferson Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

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